Sammo
New member
Although I don’t usually do Posts (this is my second ever) I agree with Haydn that the Mobo forum should also be stories and experiences, but it’s not enough to agree we must submit, so following tcm`s reference to Golden Arrow which jogged my memory here’s a true story.
The Day We Collected The Engines
About the mid eighties I was looking for a couple of engines to fit into a Colvic trawler yacht that I was fitting out at home in Coventry and was put onto Golden Arrow by Perkins themselves.
The two engines had been on trial with the navy in landing craft and as Perkins agents Golden arrow had acquired them for resale, picture is of similar.
When I arrived at Newhaven the one engine had been rebuilt and the other was in bits in the workshop. They were 2 x 220 hp with intercoolers turbos and squish lip pistons, in them days a pretty impressive specification.
Anyway I bought them along with wiring looms and gauges I think the whole lot was about 12K with new PRM gearboxes. A big saving on new.
When the call came from them that they were ready for collection me and a couple of the lads grabbed a van and went to get them, trouble was the van we used was in a hell of a state, a VW LT35, good van in its day, legal but badly abused, so we set off, first stop the garage. After the first gallon of petrol went in someone suggested that diesel might suit he engine better so we did a swift change.
On arrival at Oxford at the service area a gentle debate on directions to the south coast that had turned into an argument turned into a full blown mutiny, with my motley crew refusing to get back on board unless I bought a road map.
The van by this time had started to act very strangely suddenly surging forward for a couple of hundred yards or so for no apparent reason. We just put it down to the petrol and although it was a bit alarming at first we soon got used to it.
Eventually after 4 hours on the road we arrived in Newhaven via Brighton. Golden Arrow loaded the engines which were nailed onto pallets and with the back of the van near touching the ground we went in search of a pub for a bit of grub and a pint.
Pete and Al the two lads who were with me had worked for me for some time as sub-contract pipe fitters and were inseparable. Not only did they look like the comedians Cannon and Ball and they got on like them as well. So delighted at finding a pub that had never heard their banter they soon launched into their double act. The locals loved them and at chucking out time we were all saying our goodbyes like we had known each other all our lives instead of 2 hours.
So we set off. Clearing Brighton we had just come over the brow of a hill when we heard the siren of a police car behind us “wonder who their after” says Pete giving the copper in the squad car that had pulled along side us a friendly wave.
Then as the car got in front we saw the Pull Over sign in the back window.
Just then the van, which had not been very happy with the heavy load, decided to do one of its famous sprints, this left me desperately trying to steer round the patrol car who then responded with all lights, bells, whistles and sirens thinking we were trying to make a run for it.
Eventually we all came to a halt and were approached by the two coppers, one short and the other very tall, and they didn’t look very happy.
When we demanded to know why they had stopped us they just said “well its obvious to us that you lot are Gypsies and the van is stolen, as are those engines.”
Stunned silence!
Leaving Lofty to keep his eye on us, the short one went back to the squad car to check us out on the radio. It was then that I noticed Pete was looking at Lofty a bit sideways “How tall are you then.” 6.4” said Lofty proudly. “Corr” said Pete “I didn’t know they could stack it that high” and with that entered into a 2 minute tirade starting with “No burglaries tonight then,” and ending with “why aren’t you lot asylum seeker hunting at Newhaven,” all the time with me and Al cringing behind the copper trying to tell Pete in sign language to shut up.
Eventually (what seemed like a lifetime) shorty returned. “They check out Ok” he says. “I don’t know, says Lofty (who having had his horoscope read by Pete was not happy.) I think we should get someone out to check out this van, looks a bit dodgy to me”
Then Al stepped forward, “Let us go” he said, “See the two of us are fishermen from Hull with just the loan of the van off our mate here and we have only 2 days to get these engines into our boat and get back to fishing, otherwise there’s a chance we could lose the boat and our livelihood, wives, houses, everything. Every thing went quiet.
“I know exactly what you mean” says shorty. My brother-in laws a fisherman down here and has to go out in all weathers to pay for his boat, I know better than most it’s a hard life, off you go, Hull did you say? that’s a long way.
My blood ran cold at the thought of an offer of a police escort.
Back in the van heading north towards the smoke I says to Al “ how did you know he had relations that were fishermen then, “well” says Al, “we stood a good chance , after all we are at the seaside.”
The two engines from Golden Arrow were subsequently fitted in the boat and over the next 5 years I never had any problems with them at all, which is more than I can say for Pete and Al, but that’s another story.
……………
The Day We Collected The Engines
About the mid eighties I was looking for a couple of engines to fit into a Colvic trawler yacht that I was fitting out at home in Coventry and was put onto Golden Arrow by Perkins themselves.
The two engines had been on trial with the navy in landing craft and as Perkins agents Golden arrow had acquired them for resale, picture is of similar.
When I arrived at Newhaven the one engine had been rebuilt and the other was in bits in the workshop. They were 2 x 220 hp with intercoolers turbos and squish lip pistons, in them days a pretty impressive specification.
Anyway I bought them along with wiring looms and gauges I think the whole lot was about 12K with new PRM gearboxes. A big saving on new.
When the call came from them that they were ready for collection me and a couple of the lads grabbed a van and went to get them, trouble was the van we used was in a hell of a state, a VW LT35, good van in its day, legal but badly abused, so we set off, first stop the garage. After the first gallon of petrol went in someone suggested that diesel might suit he engine better so we did a swift change.
On arrival at Oxford at the service area a gentle debate on directions to the south coast that had turned into an argument turned into a full blown mutiny, with my motley crew refusing to get back on board unless I bought a road map.
The van by this time had started to act very strangely suddenly surging forward for a couple of hundred yards or so for no apparent reason. We just put it down to the petrol and although it was a bit alarming at first we soon got used to it.
Eventually after 4 hours on the road we arrived in Newhaven via Brighton. Golden Arrow loaded the engines which were nailed onto pallets and with the back of the van near touching the ground we went in search of a pub for a bit of grub and a pint.
Pete and Al the two lads who were with me had worked for me for some time as sub-contract pipe fitters and were inseparable. Not only did they look like the comedians Cannon and Ball and they got on like them as well. So delighted at finding a pub that had never heard their banter they soon launched into their double act. The locals loved them and at chucking out time we were all saying our goodbyes like we had known each other all our lives instead of 2 hours.
So we set off. Clearing Brighton we had just come over the brow of a hill when we heard the siren of a police car behind us “wonder who their after” says Pete giving the copper in the squad car that had pulled along side us a friendly wave.
Then as the car got in front we saw the Pull Over sign in the back window.
Just then the van, which had not been very happy with the heavy load, decided to do one of its famous sprints, this left me desperately trying to steer round the patrol car who then responded with all lights, bells, whistles and sirens thinking we were trying to make a run for it.
Eventually we all came to a halt and were approached by the two coppers, one short and the other very tall, and they didn’t look very happy.
When we demanded to know why they had stopped us they just said “well its obvious to us that you lot are Gypsies and the van is stolen, as are those engines.”
Stunned silence!
Leaving Lofty to keep his eye on us, the short one went back to the squad car to check us out on the radio. It was then that I noticed Pete was looking at Lofty a bit sideways “How tall are you then.” 6.4” said Lofty proudly. “Corr” said Pete “I didn’t know they could stack it that high” and with that entered into a 2 minute tirade starting with “No burglaries tonight then,” and ending with “why aren’t you lot asylum seeker hunting at Newhaven,” all the time with me and Al cringing behind the copper trying to tell Pete in sign language to shut up.
Eventually (what seemed like a lifetime) shorty returned. “They check out Ok” he says. “I don’t know, says Lofty (who having had his horoscope read by Pete was not happy.) I think we should get someone out to check out this van, looks a bit dodgy to me”
Then Al stepped forward, “Let us go” he said, “See the two of us are fishermen from Hull with just the loan of the van off our mate here and we have only 2 days to get these engines into our boat and get back to fishing, otherwise there’s a chance we could lose the boat and our livelihood, wives, houses, everything. Every thing went quiet.
“I know exactly what you mean” says shorty. My brother-in laws a fisherman down here and has to go out in all weathers to pay for his boat, I know better than most it’s a hard life, off you go, Hull did you say? that’s a long way.
My blood ran cold at the thought of an offer of a police escort.
Back in the van heading north towards the smoke I says to Al “ how did you know he had relations that were fishermen then, “well” says Al, “we stood a good chance , after all we are at the seaside.”
The two engines from Golden Arrow were subsequently fitted in the boat and over the next 5 years I never had any problems with them at all, which is more than I can say for Pete and Al, but that’s another story.
……………
